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On payroll tax cut, Obama digs in

Several party officials told POLITICO that Obama is in a fighting mood. | Reuters

“The public is on our side. The Republicans are losing on their signature issue which is tax cuts of the middle class,” Schumer said on MSNBC’s “The Daily Rundown. “In a few days, they will fold if no one falls for these subterfuges, which that get them off the hook without producing a middle class tax cut.”

A new Washington Post/ABC News Poll bucked up Democrats who have taken comfort in Obama’s more confrontational tone — and want to see him sustain it.

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More voters now approve of his job performance than disapprove, and he now holds the edge over Republicans in Congress on the question of who is trying to protect the middle class. Fifty percent say they trust Obama on the issue while 35 percent favor Republicans — a shift from last month, when voters were more evenly split on the matter.

Obama is also beating Republicans on who voters trust on taxes, with 46 percent favoring the president and 41 percent choosing the GOP.

“He’s winning because the public perceives that the Republicans are not interested in doing anything,” said Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.). “Not even tax cuts. Go figure that.”

The irony is that Republicans were the ones who sought the payroll tax cut in 2009 as part of the stimulus package, but the administration succeeded in passing the more narrowly-tailored “Making Work Pay” tax credit. The GOP renewed the push for the payroll tax cut last year as a substitute for the credit, and got it.

But a year later, the payroll tax holiday is more closely associated with Obama. And in recent days, administration aides have sought to re-brand it as the “Obama payroll tax cut,” just as the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts were synonymous with former President George W. Bush’s presidency.

Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.) predicted the House would cave and pass the Senate’s two-month extension by Thursday.

“I just think that it’s so obvious that when you have this kind of agreement that you can forestall the problem for two months and then have an orderly calm negotiation about what to do next, I think that’s such an obviously common sense thing to do that Republicans, after they have thrown their collective tantrum, will come around to that view,” Andrews said.

What is certain is that Obama is unlikely to jet off quickly to Hawaii to vacation with his family, who have already arrived in his home state, until the battle with House Republicans reaches a conclusion, or at least a point of no return.

And whatever the outcome, the president is likely to begin the new year with an anti-GOP, pro-tax cut blitz— unless his advisers get over their reluctance to put Obama or his surrogates out in public over the holidays, and start even sooner.

“The showdown is working for (Democrats),” said Jim Kessler, a former Hill aide and vice president of policy for Third Way, a centrist strategy group. “If the other side is divided, you’re winning.”

Readers' Comments (388)

Obama has already caved. He said he would not accept an extension that was less than 1 year and now he is hoping for a 2 month extension. He is weak- thank God imagine the damage he could do if her were effective.

Mr President, continue to hold fast against the Tea party, Grover Norquist and his Islamic - Jihadist friends. All true patriotic Americans are behind you. The Party Of Obstruction and Destruction have brought us the Tea Party Downgrade and the Tea Party Tax Increase. I say America has been Tea bagged Enough Already!

And that has given Democrats rare leverage in their year-long battle to break the House GOP legislative roadblock.

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What drivel!

So far this session, the Republican-controlled House has taken 943 Roll-Call votes. The comparable number for the Democrat-controlled Senate is 235.

The Republican-controlled House last passed a budget on April 15, 2011. The Democrat-controlled Senate voted to not allow a debate and vote on that budget. The Senate last passed a budget on April 29, 2009 (865 days ago!!).

The House passed numerous bills that would create jobs. Harry Reid will not bring them to the Senate floor for debate and a vote.

The Democrats are going to have a hard time pushing this two month extension when the people find out that the Marxist Democrats are paying for it by raising monthly mortgage costs on every new home loan for the entire life of the loan!

The SS cuts cost $1.67 for every $1 cut. Now we find out that in addition to this the cost of all home loans are going to go up killing more jobs in the housing industry!

Can the Marxist Democrats do *ANYTHING* right?

Does *EVERYTHING* they do have to work to kill the economy even further?

The CBO predicted that the US economy will be unsustainable by 2037 on its current path.

The IMF declared two weeks ago that the age of America will end in a decade.

One in six Americans now receive government help. USA Today says more Americans are receiving federal aid than ever. Investors’ Insight says more Americans than ever before are on the government dole.

Pete Isberg, president of the [nonprofit National Payroll Reporting Consortium] today wrote to the key leaders of the relevant committees of the House and Senate, telling them that “insufficient lead time” to implement the complicated change mandated by the legislation means the two-month payroll tax holiday “could create substantial problems, confusion and costs affecting a significant percentage of U.S. employers and employees.”…

Only buffoons are hoping for failure...on EITHER side. Is that what we've come to???

Newsflash, folks...we're the ones who lose in this game. More than 40% of representatives on the Hill are already millionaires by the time they get into office. No wonder why this is just one huge game of Monopoly for them, complete with funny money.

think most reasonable folks would say - don't budg on this mr president - someone has to say enough is enough and stop these idiots from ruining this country with their mean and uncaring attacks on the middle class

this is gingrinch 102 and just like bubba kicked his butt so will obama kick boehners'

From the article: “The showdown is working for (Democrats),” said Jim Kessler, a former Hill aide and vice president of policy for Third Way, a centrist strategy group. “If the other side is divided, you’re winning.”

I do believe that I was very clear in stating "All True Patriotic Americans" . No one expects for those that support Grover Norquest and his Islamic - Jihadist friends to be patriotic. As president Bush said, "You are with us or the Terrorist". The GOP/TP have sided with the terrorist.